Apple users need to wait only a few more days for the full public release of the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. There are plenty of features that will help make life easy and exciting. Like I always say, each year tech companies deliver new devices but only Apple delivers software experiences that live up to the new hardware and, at the same time, it ensures devices belonging to previous generations remain relevant. Here we look at some upcoming features that have had a beta release. If you don’t want to download the beta software, the wait will soon be over.

More transliteration keyboards (iOS, iPadOS, macOS)

I am excited to find the feature being expanded. In simple words, transliteration keyboard allows you to type in an Indian language using just English pronunciation. iOS 17 brings new transliteration keyboards across major Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. They come soon after transliteration keyboards for Urdu, Punjabi, and Gujarati introduced in iOS 16.4, Bengali and Marathi introduced in iOS 16, and Hindi.

Where it helps the most is when you have to message and want to move between two languages, like Bengali and English. You can simply type the Bengali words in Roman script and see it get translated into Bengali. So far, it has got 100 per cent correct. When you are keying in a message, at times you want to leave some words in English. On top of the keyboard, the words also appear exactly how you type and in case you want the English word to stay, simply tap on it.

iOS now supports transliteration keyboards for the top 10 languages in India.

Bi-lingual Siri experience (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS)

For things like finding out about the weather and setting reminders, I turn to Siri. The commands are almost always in English but my wife, on the other hand, likes to mix things up (yes, she even doesn’t mind ‘cha-fee’ from time to time). This means she may also ask Siri something that has a mix of English and Hindi words. iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 can handle the bilingual Siri experience flawlessly, allowing users to interact with the assistant using a mix of English and Hindi for activities throughout the day. Users can also combine English with Telugu, Punjabi, Kannada, or Marathi.

The experience includes asking Siri for help with setting an alarm or timer, sending messages, making calls, playing music, checking the weather and looking up directions.

Another interesting update in Siri can be seen when you ask it to set a reminder. For example, “Hey Siri, remind me to go grocery shopping.” Once the command is given, you will see a pop-up on the screen to set a Reminder. It’s extremely helpful.

Multiple timers

Apple took its time over including multiple timers on the iPhone but it’s finally coming and this means I can chill while cooking on Sundays. Usually, I prepare two or three food items simultaneously, like baking a cake in the oven while something like the stew is on the stove and so are veggies. Having multiple timers help the process a great deal, allowing me to relax before the TV for a bit.

Contact Poster

There is a new way to create a digital calling card, involving images, colours, and text. When you call someone (iPhone to iPhone) and you’re saved in their contacts, your Contact Poster will pop up. You can create a Contact Poster for a new entry to your telephone directory or add one to an existing entry.

When you create a Contact Poster, photograph or Memoji can play an important role. When you first add a picture it will appear like a regular profile snap. As soon as you hit ‘Next’, iOS 17 will ask you to create a poster. There are four options when it comes to adding a visual — using the camera app, selecting from Photos app (there are several styles to go with each photo you choose), use a Memoji (it’s a fun option) and Monogram (you can choose a few letters to represent a person).

The bi-lingual Siri experience includes using a mix of, say, English and Hindi to get a result, and there is a cool Reminder feature. There is also the ability to set multiple timers on iOS

FaceTime video message

I am sure to receive a lot of fun video messages when more users start using the feature. Once Apple users upgrade to iOS 17, there is the option to leave video voicemails on FaceTime. It helps when the recipient is unable to answer an incoming call.

It’s very easy to begin a video voicemail. Initiate a FaceTime call like you usually do. Wait until you see “Contact Name Is Unavailable.” Tap on Record Video to record a message once the onscreen countdown timer asks you to. You can either send the video or retake it.

Check in to keep family members informed

When family members go to work, you would like to know if the person is safe, especially at night. Check In allows you to let your family members or friends know when you arrive safely at your destination. There are times when your battery is low and you want to inform a family member that you might be late, so that they don’t worry.

Both users during Check In need to be on iOS 17, your Location Services must be enabled and the Person who initiates Check In needs to have an active cellular data plan. To initiate a Check In, open Messages, tap on ‘+’ icon next to the chat field and select Check In.

Better dual-sim experience (iOS only)

In India, we love to have two SIM cards. With iOS 17, users can see Messages sorted by their primary as well as secondary SIM. For example, you will be able to easily sort personal messages from work messages. You can even set different ringtones for each SIM, that is, to understand if iPhone is ringing because someone is calling a work phone number or personal phone number. And if a user misses a call from a number that is not yet saved to the device, they can choose to call this number back from either SIM card.

This and that

Here we look at some updates that will help the overall experience. First, you can sign into Apple ID with phone number instead of an email address (iOS, iPadOS, and macOS).

Second, you can see extended call history in Recents within the Phone app, including phone and FaceTime calls, as well as calls received on WhatsApp (iOS, iPadOS).

And here’s something to help Punjabi-speaking users. There is a built-in dictionary in Punjabi, so users can easily get definitions of words and phrases from a variety of sources (iOS, iPadOS, macOS).